Food bank announces results of study showing state of hunger in Northern Nevada
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Mon, 01/30/2023 - 8:49am
Food Bank of Northern Nevada announced Monday the release of a year-long effort to gain valuable insight into what families are facing on a daily basis in respect to hunger and food insecurity. The Feeding Our Community Survey was conducted in partnership with the Nevada Center for Surveys, Evaluation, and Statistics at the University of Nevada Reno.
Neighbors who are served by the Food Bank of Northern Nevada were surveyed from March 2021 through March 2022 throughout the 90,000 square mile service area. The organization surveyed those in urban, rural and frontier counties of the region to get a complete picture of the challenges and choices people are having to make in their daily lives.
“We knew the effort would be significant, especially as we were still battling effects of the pandemic, but knowing what our neighbors were facing was more important than ever,” explains Nicole Lamboley, president & CEO of the Food Bank of Northern Nevada. “One thing that we are always sure about as an organization is that we want to do our work better each year. Information and data like this helps us to do that.”
The Food Bank of Northern Nevada learned that of those they serve, more than 65% have a household income of less than $20,000 per year and 85% have an annual household income below $30,000. They know that 17% of those receiving help have served in the U.S. Military. They also learned that 72% of those surveyed rent or own their own place with 26% paying a mortgage.
The survey showed that 1 in every 5 people find themselves without food or the money to buy food almost every month and 62% of those surveyed said that they have had to skip meals or cut portions during the past year. Nearly half of those surveyed reported buying unhealthy options due to lower cost.
The Food Bank of Northern Nevada felt that it was important to include the pandemic and its impact in the questions of the survey and learned that 29% started using a food pantry program as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The organization hears from families that they are faced with impossible choices in their daily lives and the survey confirmed that more than 41% of families have had to choose between food and housing costs or utilities. More than half of those served by the organization have had to choose between transportation and food and one in every three people had to choose between medical care and food.
Families revealed barriers that they encounter when they are getting the necessary food for their family. The study showed that 16% have to travel more than 30 minutes to get food from a store or a pantry. The Food Bank of Northern Nevada and their 150+ partner agencies are using the information identified in the survey to identify better ways to serve the community.
The Food Bank of Northern Nevada is currently serving more than 130,000 people per month, a record number for the organization. The organization assists the community through a network of 150 partner agencies and direct service programs to reach those who live in the 90,000 square-mile service area. The Food Bank is entering its 40th year of helping those who face food insecurity and hunger in the region.
